Friends of Children and Families, Inc. Head Start and Early Head Start Annual Public Report

2013-2014

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. Head Start/

Early Head Start

Annual Public Report

By Kellie Kohler,

Executive Director

Friends of Children and

Families, Inc.

9/1/2014

2


A Message from the Executive Director 4

Program Description 5

Vision, Mission, Core Values and Strategic Goals

6

Board of Directors 7

Federal Review Results 8

Enrollment 8

Budgetary Expenditure 9

Proposed Budget 10

Children’s Services 11

Children’s Services and School Readiness 12

Health Services 18

Family Services 19

National Award-Effective Parent, Family and Community Engagement 20

Table of Contents

3


A Message from the Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Throughout this past program year, Friends of Children and Families, Inc.(FOCAF), made great strides in preparing

children for school as evidenced in the positive child outcomes data collected and analyzed using the Creative Curricu-

lum and HELP 0-3 assessment tools. Strides in closing the achievement gap were achieved by our program through

providing high-quality and comprehensive early care and education to children 0 to 5 years of age along with engaging

families through enrichment opportunities.

In October of 2013, FOCAF was honored to receive the Notice of Award (NOA) for five years of non-competitive

funding starting in January of 2014. This five year non-competitive award was an affirmation that FOCAF continues to

achieve positive outcomes for children, and has instituted the necessary operational and programmatic systems to suc-

cessfully manage the program.

In June of 2014, FOCAF received a full restoration of the Head Start and Early Head Start grant funds lost during the

federal sequestration cuts in 2013. With the newly restored grant funds, FOCAF reinstated: 23 Federal Head Start, 1

TANF and 4 Federal Early Head Start funded enrollment slots lost due to sequestration. In addition to restoring the lost

slots for children, the funds were used to increase quality by providing more planning and professional development

time for teachers and a third qualified teacher in the classroom. In addition, FOCAF was able to provide a 1.9% Cost

of Living Adjustment for each staff member which was well received by all.

Along with that, many new opportunities presented themselves this year. In July of 2014, FOCAF submitted a grant to

embark on a new service model in Elmore County. Late this summer it was approved for FOCAF to convert 17 Head

Start slots in Elmore County to 12 Early Head Start slots in both counties. FOCAF is excited to start this new adven-

ture as the need is great for birth to five services and pregnant teen moms in Elmore County.

In addition to providing high quality and comprehensive Early Head Start and Head Start services in both Elmore and

Ada County, FOCAF is committed to continue to deliver exceptional early education and family services that are ho-

listic and responsive to the individual needs of infants, toddlers, young children, pregnant women and families in the

years to come.

On behalf of the program, I am honored to present to the Board of Directors, Policy Council Members, community

partners, and the citizens of Ada and Elmore County, the 2013-2014 Friends of Children and Families, Inc., Annual

Public Report.

Sincerely,

Kellie Kohler

Executive Director

Friends of Children and Families, Inc.

4


Program Description

Friends of Children and Families, Inc., provides

quality, comprehensive, family centered, early child-

hood Head Start and Early Head Start services in

Ada and Elmore Counties in Idaho. This is made

possible by a yearly grant provided by the Federal

Government, state funds through Temporary Assis-

tance for Needy Families (TANF), USDA meal re-

imbursement, and other supplemental grants like

Ronald McDonald and Idaho Community Founda-

tion. The cities served by FOCAF are Boise, Star,

Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, Garden City, Mountain

Home, and Glenns Ferry.

To provide a classroom environment that assist chil-

dren in becoming ready for school and life-long

learners that possess the skills, knowledge, and at-

tributes necessary to thrive in school and beyond are

some of the main objectives of the program.

Family Engagement is also essential to the success

of children, families and the primary functions of the

program. Parents and staff work hand in hand to cre-

ate an environment of support, trust, love and re-

spect that nurtures the development of the whole

child. The importance of the family, and respect for

the strength and dignity of each family member is

recognized and valued.

FOCAF emphasizes the importance for parents to

become their child’s primary educator and advocate.

With that, every parent is encouraged to be an active

participant in all aspects of the program.

Furthermore, the program recognizes that all

children, families and staff need an enriched

environment that provides opportunities to:

learn; grow in self-awareness; appreciate indi-

vidual differences; develop healthy and support-

ive relationships; develop new strengths and

abilities; and, understand one’s self worth.

To enhance the learning and growth of every

child and family served, FOCAF works together

with families, community partners, schools,

staff, and volunteers to accomplish its primary

mission to provide high quality services by edu-

cating, serving, and partnering with families to

create a community of life-long learners.

5


Vision, Mission, Core Values

& Strategic Goals

Following the recommendation of Region X in July of

2014, FOCAF staff and management team, Policy

Council and Board members developed and approved

a new vision and mission statement with three sup-

porting strategic goals.

Vision Statement

Empowering our community through education and

family engagement.

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide high quality services by ed-

ucating, serving, and partnering with families to create

a community of life-long learners.

Core Values (AWE)

Acceptance

FOCAF is a friendly, honest and respectful place, re-

flecting diversity, inclusion and access for all.

Wellness Here at FOCAF we work, play and have fun, feeling

good about ourselves. Believing that through healthy

minds and bodies, safety and good nutrition, we nur-

ture positive self-esteem and self-reliance in all.

Excellence

We approach our work by building on individual and

family strengths to maximize learning and to foster

leaders that are reflective, innovative and strive for

improvement.

2014-2018 Strategic Goals

Goal 1: To create more innovative and effi-

cient systems that ensure safe environments and

compliance with program-wide quality stand-

ards for children, families and staff.

Goal 2: To become a leader of excellence in

delivering early childhood services by expand-

ing educational opportunities, increasing part-

nerships and creating program awareness that

will positively influence children, families and

the community.

Goal 3: To implement a professional develop-

ment system that supports staff in enhancing

and acquiring skills to foster positive outcomes

for children and families, while retaining and

recognizing high quality performers.

6


FOCAF Board of Directors

Officers:

Chairperson: Sheryl Logan

Vice Chair: Andrea Jackson

Treasurer: Connie Kniefel

Secretary: Shelly Smith

Members:

Michael Romans

Deborah David-Simonds

Jeff West

Chase Hewes

Virginia Wood

7


Federal Review Results Date of last Federal Review: 11/14/2011 – 11/18/2011; 4/2/2012 – 4/6/2012

Area of Noncompliance Determination: 74.23 (a)(5) Cost Sharing or matching. The grantee did not ensure its non-federal share did not include Foster Grandparent Program stipends by the Federal

Government.

Area of Noncompliance Determination: Head Start Act Sec. 644 (a)(2)(B) Public Annual Report explanation

of budgetary expenditures and proposed budget for the fiscal year. The grantee did not include a proposed budget for Fiscal Yr. 2010-11 in its Annual Report to the public.

Classroom Assessment Scoring System Results: All within Mid to high range

Emotional Support: 6.1; Classroom Organization: 5.58; Instructional Support 3.48

Desk Review conducted (July 9th, 2012) by Region X Office of Head Start – Corrected per Office of Head Start letter dated 9/17/12

Enrollment

Eligibility, Service and Unmet Service Needs for 2013-2014

Average monthly enrollment at Friends of Children and Families, Inc. in Head Start and Early Head Start

was 100%. In 2014, FOCAF took advantage of the opportunity to restore the slots lost to sequestration in

2013, and then according to need, converted Head Start slots to Early Head Start slots in Elmore County.

In Table 1, the slots are separated by Federal Head Start, TANF Head Start and Federal Early Head Start

slots. Additionally, it shows the slots by county and displays the 2013-2014 program year slots as well as

the new slot counts after the restoration and conversion in 2014 for the final total of 514 slots for the 2014

-2015 program years.

For the 2013-2014 program year, including adds and drops throughout the year, FOCAF served 575 chil-

dren and pregnant moms: 482 (84%) Head Start children and 79 (14%) Early Head Start children and 14

(2%) Early Head Start pregnant mothers.

Table 1 Program Year Slots 2014 Restored Slots 2014 Converted Slots

County Ada Elmore Total Ada Elmore Total Ada Elmore Total

Federal Head Start Slots 347 58 368 60 368 43

TANF Head Start Slots 13 13 14 13 14 13

Federal Early Head Start Slots 60 0 64 66 10

Total Slots: 420 71 491 446 73 519 448 66 514

8


Budgetary Expenditure

Head Start and Early Head Start Families and Community Volunteers generated

the following non -federal match to federal grant dollars through volunteer time and dona-

tions: $1,156,986 representing 113% of the required amount

Budgetary Expenditures: Audited Financial Statements 2013

EXPENSES

Program Services

Supporting

Services

Head Start

& EHS

Oral

Health

Care

Total Pro-

gram Ser-

vices

Total Sup-

port Ser-

vices

Grant

Total USDA TANF Board

Personnel 2,434,843 44,819

133,38

7 2,613,049 0 2,613,049

Fringe Benefits 708,085 9,391 42,344 759,820 0 759,820

Supplies & Grant Assets 223,404

174,64

1 9,174 1,000 408,219 375 375 408,594

Child Services 105,252 2,400 107,652 0 107,652

Family & Parent Services 42,860 42,860 0 42,860

Child Services Consultants 39,586 1,985 41,571 0 41,571

Occupancy 382,570 17,316 399,886 0 399,886

Travel 77,101 214 77,315 0 77,315

Staff Development 37,902 37,902 539 539 38,441

Other Expenses 23,754 49 10,850 34,653 4,088 4,088 38,741

Interest 0 36,755 36,755 36,755

Depreciation 0

120,85

8 120,858 120,858

In-Kind Expense 0 27,319 27,319 27,319

TOTAL EXPENSE 4,075,357

229,11

4

215,05

6 3,400 4,522,927

189,93

4 189,934 4,712,861

*According to Quest CPAs, P.C., Fiscal Auditors, Friends of Children and Families, Inc. had an

unqualified fiscal audit for 2013.

9


Proposed Budget

Head Start and Early Head Start Proposed Budget for 2014

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. provides quality, comprehensive, family centered early child-

hood services to Ada and Elmore Counties in Idaho. This is made possible by a yearly grant pro-

vided by the Federal Government, state funds through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

(TANF), USDA meal reimbursement, grants through Ronald McDonald, Idaho Caring Foundation

and Idaho Community Foundation.

2014 Budget

EHS Main EHS T/TA HS Main HS T/TA TOTAL

Jan-Dec '14 Jan-Dec '14 Jan-Dec '14 Jan-Dec '14

Federal

Grant 704,268.00 17,381.00 3,589,956.00 42,263.00 4,353,868.00

Personnel 432,218.35 2,172,848.45 2,605,066.80

Fringe Bene-

fits 146,515.19 672,843.48 819,358.67

Supplies 38,433.00 184,768.60 223,201.60

Child Services 940.00 87,000.00 87,940.00

Family & Par-

ent Services 5,750.00 35,400.00 41,150.00

Child Services

Consultants 9,930.00 31,566.19 41,496.19

Occupancy 52,194.96 336,707.33 388,902.29

Staff Travel -

Mileage 10,700.00 32,150.00 42,850.00

Staff Develop-

ment 826.50 2,950.00 10,340.00 17,493.00 31,609.50

Travel (Out of

Area) 14,431.00 24,770.00 39,201.00

Other 6,760.00 26,331.95 33,091.95

704,268.00 17,381.00 3,589,956.00 42,263.00 4,353,868.00

10


Children’s Services

Program Curriculum and Assessment Tools

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. uses research-based Creative Curriculum Pre-School, Second Steps,

and Growing, Growing Strong as its main curriculum source for Head Start children 3 to 5 years of age

and research-based Parent as Teachers Curriculum as its main curriculum source for children 0 to 3 years

of age receiving Early Head Start services.

In addition, FOCAF works closely with parents to help infants, toddlers and children progress in their skill

developmental toward school readiness. Assessing and individualizing for infant, toddlers and children is

an important part of FOCAF practices to ensure developmental progress is being made throughout each

program year.

To measure growth in skill development, the HELP 0-3 Assessment, a research-based performance assess-

ment tool, is used for ongoing assessment of children 0-3 years of age enrolled in Early Head Start. For

Head Start children, The Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum is used to measure growth, de-

velopment and School Readiness in children ages 3-5.

For assessing children, FOCAF Teachers use the Creative Curriculum Assessment tool to record observa-

tions three times a year in November, February, and April, and analyze the developmental progress of

children throughout the year to ensure progress toward school readiness is made. Early Head Start Family

Educators record observations using the HELP 0 -3 assessment tool to aggregate and analyze progress dur-

ing three scheduled checkpoints in December, April, and August.

School Readiness progress for children 0 to 5 years

of age is assessed through the five developmental

domains in the Head Start Child Development Early

Learning Framework:

Social and Emotional Development

Language and Literacy Development

Approaches to Learning

Cognitive and General Knowledge

Physical Well-being and Motor Development

11


Children’s Services and School Readiness

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. views school readiness as children becoming life-long learners

who possess the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to thrive in school and beyond. School readiness

is the result of families, schools, communities and services working together to provide the environments

and experiences to support the whole range of development and well-being for infants, toddlers and pre-

school children.

FOCAF School Readiness Statement

Ready

Children

Supportive Fam-

ilies & Commu-

nities

Ready

Schools

School Readiness Progress and Gains for Head Start (3-5 year olds)

Head Start utilizes The Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum to measure growth and School

Readiness in children ages 3-5 in skill development. An assessment is done at three checkpoints to ensure

that children are developing as expected and ready of school. For each checkpoint, the percentage of chil-

dren within a specified level of development is reported. As part of the Development Continuum, Forerunner

stands for the lowest, entry skill level and Level 3 stands for the highest skill level of development of a child

in each of the five domain areas.

By analyzing school readiness progress throughout the year, Friends of Children and Families is able to indi-

vidualize based on the needs of each child to ensure ongoing progress is being made. Children showed sig-

nificant school readiness progress in Language and Literacy Development, Social and Emotional Develop-

ment, Physical Development, Approaches to Learning Development and Cognitive Development.

By the end of the 2013-2014 program year, Head Start children made the following progress in the five

domain areas:

12


52% of children were at Level 3

during Checkpoint 3 compared to

only 8% of children at Checkpoint

1 showing a 550% gain in their

Language and Literacy Develop-

ment;


during Checkpoint 3 compared to

only 10% of children at Checkpoint

1 showing a 480% gain in their So-

cial and Emotional Development;


during Checkpoint 3 compared

to only 27% at Checkpoint 1

showing a 196% gain in their

Physical Well-being and Motor

Development;

13


Table 2 2013-2014 Head Start Child Development Outcomes- SPSS

Social/Emotional

Development

Physical Devel-

opment

Cognitive De-

velopment

Language De-

velopment

Approaches to

Learning

FIRST

CHECK POINT

Forerunner 8% 3% 9% 11% 7%

Level 3 10% 27% 7% 8% 4%

THIRD

CHECK POINT

Forerunner 0% 0% 0% 1% 0%

Level 3 58% 80% 55% 52% 57%

PERCENT

GAINS

Forerunner -100% -100% -100% -91% -100%

Level 3 480% 196% 686% 550% 1325%

57% of children were at Lev-

el 3 during Checkpoint 3

compared to only 4% at the

Checkpoint 1 showing a

1325% gain in their mastery

of Approaches to Learning;

55% of children were at Level

3 during Checkpoint 3 com-

pared to only 7% at the Check-

point 1 showing a 686% gain

in their Cognitive and General

Knowledge Development.

By analyzing the HS School Readiness data

using SPSS statistical software, it was deter-

mined, see Table 2, that Head Start children

made significant gains from Checkpoint 1 to

Checkpoint 3 during the 2013-2014 program

year.

14


Head Start School Readiness Trends

In addition to making great progress toward school readiness during the 2013-2014 program year, school readiness

outcomes have continued to trend upward over the last three years with the 2013-2014 program year showing the

highest child outcomes and gains overall. It is due to the vision and efforts to positively impact school readiness that

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. has been successful.

To continue to strengthen school readiness progress for children, FOCAF intentionally focuses its resources to pro-

vide teaching staff with ongoing professional development, structure, coaching and the proper planning and collabo-

ration time. Due to those efforts, on average FOCAF’s Teachers have produced higher scores in Emotional Support,

Classroom Organization and Instructional Support then Region X and National Head Start Peers.

15


School Readiness Progress for Early Head Start For Early Head Start, FOCAF uses the HELP 0 – 3 assessment tools to measure growth and skill develop-

ment in children ages 0-3 years of age at three checkpoints scheduled strategically throughout the year. Dur-

ing the 2013-2014 program year, FOCAF started out using the Ounce Development Assessment Tool to

measure child outcomes but discovered issues in

being able to aggregate child outcomes data to

support a proper assessment and analysis. After

the first checkpoint FOCAF course corrected

itself and switched to the HELP 0-3 Assessment

tool. To use the different checkpoint data to-

gether, the data was gathered into two catego-

ries: Needs Development and Developing as

expected.

The following are graphs for the five domain

areas that show where children were in their de-

velopment during the First (Ounce), Second

(HELP 0-3) and Third (HELP 0-3) Checkpoints:

School Readiness Progress and Gains for Early Head Start

16


17


Health Services

Number of Children Served The total actual number served in 2013 – 2014 was 575 (482 Head Start children and 93 Early Head Start children &

pregnant women). The average annual attendance for HS was 86% and EHS 93%.

Health Insurance At enrollment 461 (95%) of Head Start and 78 (99%) of Early Head Start children had insurance; and, at the end of

enrollment 469 (97%) HS children and 79 (100%) of EHS children had insurance.

Additional Health Services At enrollment 356 (74%) of Head Start children and 65 (82%) of Early Head Start children had a physical ex-

amination; by the end enrollment 454 (94%) of HS children and 75 (95%) of EHS children received a physical

examination.

At enrollment 368 (76%) and by the end of enrollment 472 (98%) of Head Start children had a dental home

and 462 (96%) completed a professional dental exam. Early Head Start children that received preventative

dental care (97%.)

By the end of enrollment 474 (98%) of Head Start children and 78 (99%) Early Head Start children where up-

to-date on their immunizations.

Trimester of pregnancy in which pregnant women were enrolled: 22% during 1st trimester, 50% during 2nd

trimester, and 28% during 3rd trimester.

43% of pregnant women were identified as medically high risk by a physician.

Head Start data compared over 3 years:

Disabilities and Mental Health Services 11.8% (57) of HS children were served with a disability and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and

16% (13) EHS children were served with a disability and on an IFSP.

Mental Health Services 10% of HS Children and 7% of EHS Children were referred for Mental Health services.

11-12 12-13 13-14

Children receiving WIC services 59% 53% 38%

Children with an anemia diagnosis .1% 0% 0%

Children with an asthma diagnosis 2.3% 1% 1%

Children with a hearing impairment 1.3% 2% 1%

Children overweight and obese 31% 26% 28%

Children diagnosed with vision problems 8.5% 3% 4%

Children that received some form of dental treatment

(other than preventative)

18% 21.3% 26%

18


Family Services

Number of Families Served

Family Information: Families served by both HS & EHS:

61% were two parent families and 39% were one

parent families

61% families had one or more parents employed

and 39% families had neither parent employed dur-

ing the program year

47% families received parent education

58% received health education

23 different home languages were spoken by fami-

lies

8% of families participated in fatherhood activities

6% of families experienced homelessness and 2% of children were in the foster care system

FOCAF believes that families are an essential part of all aspects of the Head Start program. They make

contributions large and small of interest, ideas, time, and commitment. Together we cultivate healthy, ac-

tive involvement in our communities and share in the diversity of family values and culture. We under-

stand that self-confidence enables families to continue achieving personal goals as they transition from

Head Start and Early Head Start.

Parents have the opportunity to serve on parent committees, Policy Council, and are encouraged to volun-

teer and share their talents in a variety of ways throughout the organization. They volunteer in the class-

room, help with interviewing staff, serve on various committees, and partner with staff to plan and imple-

ment family engagement/fatherhood activities and other activities throughout the organization. In addition,

parents/guardians of FOCAF Head Start children are encouraged to apply for employment opportunities

within the organization. FOCAF Head Start is a strengths-based program that recognizes and celebrates

the talents of each individual family within the program.

Head Start 466

Early Head Start 75

Total number of families served: 541

19


National Award:

Effective Parent, Family and Community Engagement

Family engagement for FOCAF is about building relationships with families that support family well-

being, strong relationships between parents and their children and ongoing learning and development for

both parents and children. FOCAF works hard to engage parents throughout all areas of their child’s edu-

cation and development while providing them with the support they need to be successful in life.

Recognizing the contributions and supporting the efforts that parents make in their endeavors to improve

their circumstances and educate their children are key components to FOCAF’s service models.

FOCAF is dedicated to providing families with the support, education, community resources, and training

they need to successfully achieve their long-term goals.

FOCAF’s family engagement program activities

were designed under the guidance of the Office of

Head Start’s researched-based Parent, Family and

Community Engagement Framework. Through

focused efforts, FOCAF has been successful in

helping families overcome challenges and become

lifelong educators for their children.

During the 2nd National Birth to Five Leadership

Institute in April 2013, FOCAF was recognized as

the National Award Winner for implementing an

effective family engagement program goal that

resulted in positive outcomes for children and fam-

ilies.

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. accepts the National Leader-

ship Award for “Effective Family Engagement” from Yvette Sanchez

Fuentes, the part Director for the Office of Head Start.

20

Documents

Friends of Children and Families, Inc. Head Start and Early Head Start Annual Public Report